BBC HD programmes coming in May

Here's the line-up of programmes the BBC is offering in high definition during May.

Friday 4th May 11.25pm
Later with Jools Holland

Arctic Monkeys and Bryan Ferry are amongst the guests appearing in the first episode of series 29 of this state-of-the-art live music show. Cansei De Ser Sexy (CSS)- led by the amazing Lovefoxx – are a Brazilian five-woman, one-man sextet joining Jools in the studio along with nomadic, Touareg desert blues sensations Tinariwen. Brooklyn-based The Hold Steady make their Later ... debut, while eighty-nine-year-old Henri Salvador is on hand to perform a track from his recent album. (Simulcast with BBC TWO)

Monday 7th May 12pm
May Day Music Marathon

Keep the sound up all day for this catch-up of top HD performances including Beyonce at the BBC, Children in Need Concert, Sessions featuring Paul Simon, Bryan Ferry and The Who, Electric Proms performances from Paul Weller and James Brown, and of course, plenty of Later…with Jools.

Saturday 12th May 8pm
Eurovision Song Contest

Eurovision 2006 saw monster rockers Lordi power their way to Finland's first-ever victory in the hotly fought competition: can the contest ever be the same again? This year will see Europe descend on Helsinki for the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 and, once again, BBC ONE will be at the centre of the action with Sir Terry Wogan, as always, at the helm. (Simulcast with BBC ONE)

Saturday 19th May 1pm
FA Cup final

(Simulcast with BBC ONE)

Sunday 20th May
Chelsea Flower Show Preview

Kick off this year’s annual event with a sneak peak inside the exhibition doors, before they open to all. Then throughout the week enjoy an HD feast for the eyes with daily coverage of the Royal Horticultural Society’s annual showcase of gardens and all things floral. (Simulcast with BBC ONE, and also BBC TWO during the week).

Holby Blue

Tim Pigott-Smith, Zöe Lucker and Kacey Ainsworth star in Tony Jordan's eagerly anticipated, new police drama. It's a busy time for the team at Holby South, with Asbos aplenty, mountains of paper work and a handful of new recruits to integrate. However, they remain committed to "shaping a safer Holby", even if their personal lives suffer as a result. (Simulcast with BBC ONE)

Hustle

With Mickey heading to Australia to help pull off a major con, Danny feels it's time for him to take the lead, as the drama about a group of con artists returns. Only moments after meeting Albert's mark – a Texan movie memorabilia fanatic named Anthony Westley – Danny's talked the group in too deep with a promise to sell Westley the Hollywood sign. This calls for an impromptu trip to LA for the gang. Danny is played by Marc Warren, Albert by Robert Vaughn, Anthony Westley by Robert Wagner, Stacie by Jaime Murray, Ash by Robert Glenister and Richard Hamilton by Steve Hytner. (Simulcast with BBC ONE)

The Lusitania

"Remember The Lusitania! Avenge The Lusitania!" These are the words with which American men were urged to enlist for the First World War. The sinking of this great liner was an event which provoked outrage on an unprecedented scale, marking a pivotal moment in history. This dramatised documentary retells the story of The Lusitania's fateful voyage, which ended on 7 May 1915, when the liner, en route to Liverpool, was torpedoed off the south coast of Ireland by a German U-Boat. Her demise was rapid – sinking in just 18 minutes, with a catastrophic loss of life. Bringing to life events on board both vessels, The Lusitania also reveals how the political and intelligence communities failed to stop this tragedy. (Simulcast with BBC ONE)

Also coming up in May on BBC HD

BBC FOUR Session

Enjoy a full hour’s coverage of Yusuf Islam in concert. (Simulcast with BBC FOUR)

Any Dream Will Do

Thousands of hopefuls have auditioned up and down the country and the judges now have the arduous task of whittling down the best in a series of Call Backs, followed by Joseph School and a Final Live Performance to find a new Joseph. The Graham Norton hosted, Andrew Lloyd Webber search for the ideal Joseph continues on Saturdays throughout May. (Simulcast with BBC ONE)

Diary of a Nobody

The second instalment of Andrew Davies’s adaptation of the classic comedy novel described by Evelyn Waugh as the ‘funniest book in the world’, will air on May 4th, with the last two instalments to follow in the coming weeks. Part of BBC FOUR’s Edwardian season, Diary stars Hugh Bonneville (Five Days, Freezing, Beau Brummell, Notting Hill) as the wonderfully pompous diarist Mr Charles Pooter – the Victor Meldrew of his day – who guides his audience through the minutiae of middle-class manners. (From BBC FOUR)

Famous Lives

Starting on the 6th, the first few Sundays in May offer a chance to catch-up with some famous lives caught in HD. First it’s Maxwell (from BBC TWO), featuring Award-winning actor David Suchet as Robert Maxwell in this gripping account of the dramatic final stage of the media tycoon's life, and Stan, the drama by Neil Brand that explores the last farewell between comedy legends Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy (from BBC FOUR). Later in the month Daphne (from BBC TWO), focuses on popular, award-winning mystery writer Daphne Du Maurier and Hannibal (BBC ONE), which explores the man behind the myth, revealing what drove the 26-year-old to mastermind one of the most audacious military moves in history.